Incertitude
by Del Rion
Summary: J.A.R.V.I.S. is still learning, and when Tony brings home a male companion – the first one J.A.R.V.I.S. knows of – it raises some questions for the AI. (Part of "Genius, AI & Bots" series.)


**Story Info**

 **Title:** Incertitude

 **Author:** Del Rion

 **Fandom:** Iron Man (MCU)

 **Timeline:** pre-Iron Man

 **Genre:** Drama

 **Rating:** M / FRM

 **Characters:** J.A.R.V.I.S., Tony Stark (mentioned: Tony's bots (DUM-E and U))

 **Pairing:** Tony/OMC (+ referenced Tony/OFC)

 **Summary:** J.A.R.V.I.S. is still learning, and when Tony brings home a male companion – the first one J.A.R.V.I.S. knows of – it raises some questions for the AI.  
Complete. Part of "Genius, AI & Bots" series.

 **Warnings:** Implied sexual (m/m  & f/m) content, mature language.

 **Disclaimer:** Iron Man and Marvel Cinematic Universe, including characters and everything else, belong to Marvel, Marvel Studios, Jon Favreau and Paramount Pictures. In short: I own nothing; this is pure fiction created to entertain likeminded fans for no profit whatsoever.

 **Beta:** Mythra (mythras-fire)

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 **Story and status:** Below you see the writing process of the story. If there is no text after the title, then it is finished and checked. Possible updates shall be marked after the title.

 **Incertitude**

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. . .

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 **Incertitude**

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The man enters the premises with Tony, and Tony acts like he's with one of the women who have spent a few hours within this house before leaving and never come back.

Tony pauses by one of the control screens on the way to the stairs, adjusting the safety parameters – the way he usually does before engaging in sexual activities which might alert J.A.R.V.I.S. to intervene for one reason or another. The man crowds him at the screen, wrapping his arms around Tony from behind, pressing in close, kissing his neck, forcing Tony to cock his head in order to keep his eyes on the screen as he finishes the adjustments and exits the menu.

"Come on, Stark," the stranger croons.

"Bedroom's that way," Tony gestures, and they walk to the stairs and up into the bedroom.

The new settings instruct J.A.R.V.I.S. not to visually monitor the bedroom – not actively, anyway. The cameras are always on, but the AI is not 'watching' them unless there is cause for concern. It doesn't mean J.A.R.V.I.S. won't observe in other ways; even though the tolerance level has been raised, it doesn't mean J.A.R.V.I.S. won't be monitoring the situation in case it escalates.

This is the first time Tony has brought home a male companion for the sole purpose of sex. Throughout J.A.R.V.I.S.'s activation, his others partners have been strictly female. It is yet another new thing to be learned, and the information is indexed and filed in a long, complex list that J.A.R.V.I.S. is keeping in order to learn and adapt.

The sounds Tony makes are different. If not for the adjusted safety protocols, J.A.R.V.I.S. would ask if he's alright. It's not pain, exactly – J.A.R.V.I.S. has a list of seventeen entries depicting different expressions of pain by Tony, and even though it is likely there will be other entries in the future, the current situation does not directly fall under this category as far as J.A.R.V.I.S. can tell.

J.A.R.V.I.S. collects it nonetheless, adding it to a list of things to ask Tony later. Context is important, as evolving requires understanding.

The encounter lasts a significantly shorter amount of time than the average act with a woman: twenty-seven minutes later Tony is escorting the man to the door. The visitor is fully dressed and drops a kiss on Tony's cheek. "This was nice," he says, then smiles briefly and leaves. Tony, wearing his underwear and a dress shirt fastened with a single button, stands in the foyer a while longer, obviously lost in thought.

 _"Sir?"_ J.A.R.V.I.S. calls out.

Tony hums, signaling that he's listening.

 _"Are you alright?"_

"Yeah," Tony replies, still sounding a bit distracted. "Why do you ask?" he questions after nine long seconds, snapping out of it. Before J.A.R.V.I.S. can say anything, he is already turning and walking back towards the stairs. There is something in the way he moves; not a limp, but in the way he walks with a bit more effort.

 _"You are not in any pain or discomfort?"_ J.A.R.V.I.S. asks, knowing Tony is more likely to volunteer such information now that they are alone.

Tony chuckles. "A little tender, but that's to be expected."

 _"Sir?"_

Tony's expression is hard to read. He changes direction and heads out to the bar instead of going back upstairs. "What's with the sudden concern?" he asks, pouring himself a couple fingers of Scotch.

 _"It was quite sudden, this new… development,"_ J.A.R.V.I.S. responds.

Tony hums again, then seems to realize something. "Was this the first time I brought a companion of male variety home with me?"

J.A.R.V.I.S. knows there is no reason for any simulated form of relief, but it is always gratifying when Tony guesses the origin of a problem that is puzzling the AI. _"Indeed, sir."_

"Don't tell me you read somewhere that it's an abomination."

 _"I believe humanity is capable of many things worse than buggery."_

Tony laughs. "Preach it, sister," he muses against the rim of his glass as he sips the amber liquid.

 _"Did he hurt you?"_ J.A.R.V.I.S. asks. In theory – there are a lot of things the AI knows in theory – the act is very different from what J.A.R.V.I.S. has witnessed between Tony and his numerous female companions. Judging by the earlier sounds and Tony's current body language, it is easy to tell what went on in his bedroom for the last half an hour.

"There's always a bit of discomfort, especially if you're impatient," Tony responds.

 _"Well, that explains it,"_ J.A.R.V.I.S. declares in a manner that Tony likes. _"You have never been one to take your time with anything."_

Tony raises his glass.

 _"Other than an aged drink,"_ J.A.R.V.I.S. corrects.

Tony smiles. "Do I need to adjust your memory?" he asks then.

 _"Whatever for, sir?"_

"To make you forget I ever brought a man home."

 _"Have you done that before?"_

"No," Tony denies, as if he's suddenly stepped into a trap. "But if you feel more comfortable not knowing…"

 _"It is not my purpose to be comfortable, sir,"_ J.A.R.V.I.S. notes. _"I am supposed to learn, adapt, and be of service to you. How can I be of service if we need to have this conversation an unknown number of times in the future?"_

Tony doesn't say anything else. He doesn't claim that he never really brings men home – J.A.R.V.I.S. knows that already, so there's no need to put it into words – nor does he lecture J.A.R.V.I.S. on what is or isn't the AI's place. There are times when J.A.R.V.I.S. expects that to happen, especially when he has made a mistake or overstepped his jurisdiction, but Tony has so far been content to overlook each incident.

He often says he's already learned valuable lessons from the bots, and that there is no need to repeat the same mistakes with J.A.R.V.I.S. Whatever those mistakes were, J.A.R.V.I.S. does not know, and it seems unlikely the same rules would apply to rudimentary AI's within robot bodies as an UI-come-AI.

However, it is not J.A.R.V.I.S.'s place to question Tony's wisdom.

After finishing his drink, Tony goes back upstairs. He adjusts the security protocols back to normal before briefly washing in the adjoining bathroom and then crawling into bed, and J.A.R.V.I.S. monitors his every move, just like he always does. It's what Tony wants, after all, and one of the many reasons why he built J.A.R.V.I.S.

 **The End**


End file.
